Your World of Text: Difference between revisions

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| screenshot = Ywot_2023.jpg

| caption = YWOT in 2023

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2009|8|5}}

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2009|8|4}}

| creator = [[Andrew Badr]]

| url = https://yourworldoftext.com

}}'''''<small~~><u~~>*Check out the [https://yourworldoftext.wiki YWOT Wiki!]~~~~'''''

}}'''''*Check out the [https://web.archive.org/web/20250703140521/https://yourworldoftext.wiki/ YWOT Wiki!]'''''

'''''<small~~><u~~>*Also check out [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Our_World_of_Text the YWOT Wiki's page on OWOT]!~~~~'''''

'''''*Also check out [https://web.archive.org/web/20250531164421/https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Our_World_of_Text the YWOT Wiki's page on OWOT]!'''''

'''Your World of Text''' ('''YWOT''') is an [[Similar Sites to OWOT|infinite text canvas]] created by [[Andrew Badr]]. It is the predecessor to [[OWOT|Our World of Text]], and also the site where most users discovered OWOT.

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''It feels soulless.''"</blockquote>Due to YWOT's lack of features, many OWOT users see it as a more handicapped site.

~~The lack~~ of colored text and ~~SLC~~(''among many other things'') greatly ~~decrease~~ the scope of art that can be created. Stricter rate-limits also ~~serves~~ to restrict scripting, which is considered to be a major source of creativity in OWOT.

Lack of support for colored text and [[Symbols for Legacy Computing]](''among many other things'') greatly decreases the scope of art that can be created. Stricter rate-limits on YWOT also serve to restrict scripting, which is considered to be a major source of creativity in OWOT.

There is also the fact that YWOT simply isn't very well optimized in the current day, and would lag unbearably whenever too many users are online. Indeed, Andrew Badr has largely abandoned his site in the current day ~~and left it to rot~~, whereas [[Fp|FP]] still maintains OWOT on a regular basis.

There is also the fact that YWOT simply isn't very well optimized in the current day, and would lag unbearably whenever too many users are online. Indeed, Andrew Badr has largely abandoned his site in the current day, whereas [[Fp|FP]] still maintains OWOT on a regular basis.

OWOT users have noticed, in addition, that scrolling is much slower on YWOT, making for a jankier experience. Many have also reported that they simply missed the presence of colors, and felt that the experience wasn't the same in black and white.

OWOT users have noticed, in addition, that scrolling is much slower on YWOT, making for a jankier experience. One user reacted with disgust at the inclusion of scrolling momentum, where the screen would keep on moving for a brief moment after you stop scrolling. Ironically, another user from YWOT once criticized OWOT for ''not'' having momentum.

It should be noted that clicking and dragging is the default method of travel for most YWOT users, though this is still slower than scrolling on OWOT, and is also much more uncomfortable to do over an extended period of time.

Many have also reported that they simply missed the presence of colors, and felt that the experience wasn't the same in black and white.

=== YWOTers on OWOT ===

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''And that horrendous chat box..."''</blockquote>Our World of Text is seen by much of the Your World of Text community as a more toxic version of YWOT where spamming is more prevalent. The script-centric nature of OWOT also lends it a bad name, since most YWOT users associate scripting exclusively with spam.

The chaotic nature of OWOT's canvas reinforces this stigma for many YWOTers visiting their sister site for the first time. More often than not, users would enter the canvas only to be greeted with torrents of spam at a scale far surpassing what is normal for YWOT. Features like text colors and SLC only make this more of an eyesore, as they enable spammers to [[Image Pasters|paste high resolution images]] that are frequently NSFW in nature. Likewise, original content such as art and conversations are much harder to find, usually being limited to select (''often ephemeral'') islands of safety.

That being said, most YWOTers have not been on OWOT long enough to learn of its more [[Art|artistic]] qualities; or that scripts can be used for the site's benefit rather than just for spam. Though it should be noted that in many areas, OWOT ''does'' in fact attract a more reprehensible userbase than its predecessor, with the global chat in particular being a cesspool of toxicity. A lot of this may have to do with the fact that OWOT users are generally younger than their YWOT counterparts.

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This is not to say that YWOT is without toxicity, however, though most of it does seem to have subsided in the current day. And any crimes committed by past users would have been lost to time, whereas OWOT keeps a better record of its [[List of trolls on OWOT|misbehaving members]].

Another source of animosity comes from the fact that much of YWOT's appeal comes from exploration, where generations of users follow each other on lengthy pilgrimages, reacting to older text all while leaving messages of their own ~~in order~~ to encourage future travelers. The lack of teleportation also means that the vast majority of spam/toxicity is confined to Spawn, an area that can easily be left behind to explore a more pleasant environment.

Another source of animosity comes from the fact that much of YWOT's appeal comes from exploration, where generations of users follow each other on lengthy pilgrimages, reacting to older text all while leaving messages of their own to encourage future travelers. The lack of teleportation also means that the vast majority of spam/toxicity is confined to Spawn, an area that can easily be left behind to explore a more pleasant environment.

Easy access to teleportation removes any incentive for manual exploration in OWOT, meaning that there really isn't much to find after you scroll past the chaos of Spam Central. It is for this reason that many YWOT users see their sister website as a more hollow experience.[[File:Look at this pizza.jpg|thumb|160x160px|Cross-site racism at play]]

=== The Takeaway ===

The general consensus among those who have spent time in both websites is that YWOT and OWOT simply fulfill different niches. YWOT is considered to be an open world text processor<ref>https://x.com/Orteil42/status/1293330316204154881</ref> ~~while~~ OWOT is ~~regarded~~ by most of its userbase as a sandbox centered around scripting. FP has also noted that whereas YWOT users ~~explore their site manually~~, users in OWOT ~~explore by teleporting to distant coordinates or~~ by visiting other [[worlds]], [https://ourworldoftext.com/computer.yes many] [https://ourworldoftext.com/funbox of] [https://ourworldoftext.com/main which] are unique experiences in of themselves.

The general consensus among those who have spent time in both websites is that YWOT and OWOT simply fulfill different niches. While YWOT is considered to be an open world text processor<ref>https://x.com/Orteil42/status/1293330316204154881</ref> with a focus on manual exploration, OWOT is seen by most of its userbase as sandbox centered around experimentation(''Ex. with art and scripting''). [[Fp|FP]] has also noted that whereas YWOT users find meaningful content by exploring the canvas, users in OWOT do so by visiting other [[worlds]], [https://ourworldoftext.com/computer.yes many] [https://ourworldoftext.com/funbox of] [https://ourworldoftext.com/main which] are unique experiences in of themselves.

Still, most users of the two WOTs believe their site to be superior and argue about it time from time; the dynamics of these discourses being biased towards whichever Discord server the argument is happening in.

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=== Mr.Guy ===

[[File:Mrguy bitcoin.jpg|thumb|"''Then I did a couple jobs for Andrew Badr. He paid me in Bitcoin, the sum of which now has me tossing and turning at night.''"]]

[[Mr.Guy]] is a scripter and former spammer who briefly worked for Andrew Badr in 2015. He was tasked with removing emojis from YWOT, since they had a habit of messing with the formatting. ~~Mr.Guy's employment by the YWOT creator~~ ended ~~on a sour note when Andrew fixed~~ emojis himself, ~~thus nullifying everything~~ Guy ~~worked~~ to ~~accomplish~~.

[[Mr.Guy]] is a scripter and former spammer who briefly worked for Andrew Badr in 2015. He was tasked with removing emojis from YWOT, since they had a habit of messing with the formatting. And though Andrew ended up removing emojis himself, Mr.Guy still appreciated the opportunity to work on the text canvas.

~~To add insult to injury~~, ~~Andrew paid~~ Mr.Guy in a sum of Bitcoin that now has him "''tossing and turning at night.''"

As a reward, Mr.Guy was paid in a sum of Bitcoin that now has him "''tossing and turning at night.''"

On the YWOT canvas, Mr.Guy started off as a spammer but eventually turned his focus towards more helpful endeavors like road maintenance. He was most famous for building the North Road ladder, one of the first major Northern trails from after the [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Summer_of_2015# 2015 Wipe].

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'''''*See the YWOT Wiki's page for the MHZ [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Man_Hating_Zone here].'''''

The [[Manhatingzone]] faction has existed long before the creation of the current OWOT, supposedly being present at the creation of YWOT in 2009.

The [[Manhatingzone|Man Hating Zone]] faction has existed long before the creation of the current OWOT, supposedly being present at the creation of YWOT in 2009.

[https://ourworldoftext.com/OWOTD/iceberg /OWOTD/iceberg] mentions that the MHZ have feuded with the [https://www.yourworldoftext.com/~michaelhawke/globalfaith Mormons] of old YWOT and witnessed the [https://github.com/ywothistory/ywothistory.github.io/blob/master/_posts/2012-12-30-modernages.markdown spammer vs eraser wars] of 2013. Their world, /manhatingzone, was supposedly the most active world in YWOT before it was privated.

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File:Ywot-black-spam.gif|The [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/The_Void Void Incursion] that covered Spawn for all of May 2022

File:Ywot farm.jpg|The [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/YWOT_Farm YWOT Farm], a collaborative art project at spawn

File:Ywot emoji images.png|Despite not supporting colored text, you [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Color_in_YWOT ''can''] technically have color in Your World of Text.

File:Dense.jpg|A dense cluster of [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Miscellaneous_Text handmade messages], no spam in sight

File:Ywot getting over it.png|In 2023, two users managed to replicate the entirety of ''Getting Over It'' in YWOT, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T186L5Gn-OY completely in ASCII form].

File:Ywot iceberg.jpg|An outdated [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/YWOT_Iceberg YWOT iceberg] by [[Rscr]]

File:Five monitors.webp|User Anonymousellama21 once used four monitors to maximize click and drag speed while traveling to a distant coordinate

</gallery><gallery mode="packed" heights="300">

File:Ywot paradise.png|The City of Paradise from the [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/North_Road_(2010_Archive) 2010 Archive], it exists at the same spot as the current day [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Sky_City Sky City]

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== Trivia ==

* Despite not supporting colored text, you [https://yourworldoftext.wiki/Color_in_YWOT ''can''] technically have color in Your World of Text.

* As stated in an interview with Andrew Badr, YWOT is believed to be the oldest infinite canvas on the internet.<ref>https://cultorjustweird.libsyn.com/s2e7-the-line</ref>

* Instead of a chat, YWOT used to have an active IRC featuring all the most active members of its community. Today, [[Sammich|Sammich's]] Wokecat is believed to be the successor of the IRC, and is still frequented by many of YWOT's old guards.

* A [https://www.startribune.com/miranda-july-s-bright-future/127312863 ''Star Tribune'' article] from 2012 mistakenly attributed the creation of YWOT to popular writer/artist [[wikipedia:Miranda_July|Miranda July]].

* YWOT was featured in [https://elmcip.net/creative-work/your-world-text a digital poetry class from 2010] along with [https://stars.library.ucf.edu/elo2020/live/events/11/ an online social experiment from 2020], and was even used as someone's [https://www.yourworldoftext.com/~maritas college thesis] in 2024(''though it didn't seem to get anywhere''). It was also mentioned in a number of academic papers<ref>https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=yourworldoftext&oq=yourwor</ref><ref>https://www.sens-public.org/articles/1699/</ref>; the 2013 paper titled "''Quotationalism in Digital Literature''" had the following to say about the infinite text canvas:

<blockquote>"''The idea of the embodiment and realization of the open, interactive and fleeting text played a major role (especially for authors) in digital literature in the late 1990s and early 2000s. While some claimed the impossibility of open text, others (most) turned to implementing this idea, without any irony. One of the works that tries to implement open text is the website yourworldoftext, which designs a blank sheet that can be written on in all directions:'' 'Your World of Text is an infinite grid of text editable by any visitor. The changes made by other people appear on your screen as they happen.' T''he freedom that the endless page promises is clouded by the fact that the flow of writing still runs from left to right and therefore linearly. Furthermore, the fact that every visitor can write something on the page creates pubescent textual struggles and removes this text, at least temporarily, from the field of literature. Some note-taking projects attempt to create an ever-growing, rhizomatic web of text. This is what an entry on the association blaster platform, which has been growing since 1999 and is probably the most popular, says:'' 'This network is, proceeds as and builds a rhizome!' ''The authors Alvar Freude and Dragan Espenschied announced their work in 1999 as'' 'a new way of organizing information.' 'an encapsulated prototype of how the web could work: from the bottom up' ''and'' 'a connection between all kinds of views, languages, cultures and people that creates the ultimate, post-modern ambivalence - or a kind of in-between fact- Knowledge.' [...]"

"B''adr, Andrew: Your World of Text The writing project Your World of Text consists of an endless writing sheet or an open source program that simulates such a writing surface. On the endless page, every visitor can move in all directions as a reader or writer. Any visitor can change the text, delete text or add text, and all interventions are immediately visible on the screen. The open and democratic structure of this program suggests that the author had in mind a practical implementation of the'' 'open text.' ''Since its average visitor is anonymous and minor, the current state of the work is more of a world of spam.''"

'''- Barbara Marković, ''Quotationalism in Digital Literature'''''</blockquote>

== External links ==

* [https://github.com/ywothistory/ywothistory.github.io/tree/master/_posts OWOT history Github]: Covers the site's history from 2009 to 2013.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20250703140521/https://yourworldoftext.wiki/ YWOT wiki]: Accessible on the Wayback Machine since the wiki is currently down.

== References ==

[[Category:Your World of Text]]

[[Category:History]]

[[Category:Websites]]